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Pat Cummins to miss IPL 2026 start; Ishan Kishan named SRH stand-in captain

Australian captain Pat Cummins will miss the opening matches of IPL 2026 for Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a back injury sustained before the Ashes. The franchise has appointed Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan as the stand-in captain in his absence, with Abhishek Sharma serving as vice-captain. Kishan comes into the tournament in strong form, having been a key performer in India's recent T20 World Cup title defense. SRH made the official announcement of this temporary leadership change through a post on social media platform X.

Key Points: Pat Cummins Injured, Ishan Kishan to Lead SRH in IPL 2026

  • Pat Cummins sidelined with back injury
  • Ishan Kishan appointed stand-in captain
  • Abhishek Sharma named vice-captain
  • Kishan in form after T20 World Cup 2026
  • SRH announces leadership change via social media
2 min read

Pat Cummins to miss "few IPL 2026 games" due to injury; Ishan Kishan to lead SRH, Abhishek Sharma named vice-captain

Sunrisers Hyderabad announce Ishan Kishan as captain and Abhishek Sharma as vice-captain for initial IPL 2026 games as Pat Cummins recovers from injury.

"Pat Cummins will miss a few games while recovering from injury. Until he recovers, Ishan Kishan will be the Captain and Abhishek Sharma will be the Vice-Captain. - SRH"

Hyderabad, March 18

Australian white-ball captain Pat Cummins is set to miss the first few games of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season due to a back injury, with star India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan named as stand-in captain for Sunrisers Hyderabad in his absence.

The Hyderabad-based franchise announced in a post on X that Cummins will miss "a few games" while recovering from a back injury sustained ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes. Notably, Cummins played one Ashes game before sitting out the remaining four due to the injury and also did not feature in the T20 World Cup 2026.

SRH announced that the wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan will captain the side in Cummins' absence and left-handed batter Abhishek Sharma will be his deputy.

"Pat Cummins will miss a few games while recovering from injury. Until he recovers, Ishan Kishan will be the Captain and Abhishek Sharma will be the Vice-Captain," SRH announced in the X post.

Notably, Ishan Kishan has been in exceptional form since leading Jharkhand to their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2025, finishing as the top scorer in the tournament with 517 runs. His performances earned him a return to India's T20 World Cup squad, where he played a crucial role in India's T20 WC title defence.

At the 2026 T20 WC, Ishan Kishan scored 317 runs and ended as the team's second-highest run-scorer.

SRH signed Ishan Kishan before the IPL 2025 season for Rs 14.5 crore and made an immediate impact, smashing a 45-ball century against Rajasthan Royals on debut. However, he ended the season with 354 runs from 13 innings at an average of 35.40.

SRH squad for IPL 2026 season:

Salil Arora, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Ravichandran Smaran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Jack Edwards, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Mavi, Pat Cummins, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, Harshal Patel, Sakib Hussain, Shivang Kumar, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a cricket fan living in Hyderabad, I'm a bit worried. Losing your marquee overseas captain right at the start is never ideal. The squad looks strong on paper, but leadership in pressure moments is key. Wishing Cummins a speedy recovery.
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Ananya R
Finally, Ishan Kishan getting the recognition he deserves! After that amazing T20 World Cup and SMAT performance, he's earned this. Abhishek Sharma as VC is also a smart move - they're both young, fearless players. Jai Ho SRH! 💪
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Vikram M
Respectfully, I have to question this. Ishan is a brilliant batter, but does he have the tactical mind for captaincy? It's a huge pressure job. Maybe they should have gone with a more experienced Indian player in the squad until Cummins returns.
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Karthik V
The back injury from the Ashes is still troubling him? Aussies really ran their players into the ground. Our BCCI needs to be careful with our stars too. On the bright side, more opportunities for young Indian leaders to shine. All the best to Ishan!
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Priya S
Abhishek Sharma as vice-captain is the real story for me! He's a local Hyderabad boy and has been with SRH for years. Shows the franchise values loyalty and homegrown talent. Hope this duo does wonders for the team! 🧡

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